In large part thanks to our team of landscape architects at Axis, the Environment Agency has been granted permission by South Lakeland District Council for a new pumping station for Stock Beck and flood defences at Gooseholme Park in Kendal.
Kendal was among many areas in Cumbria devastated by flooding in 2015. The scheme promises to improve flood protection for more than 1,400 homes and in excess of 1,100 businesses in the town and the surrounding area.
Axis has worked with Jacobs engineers and environmental consultants to develop detailed landscape proposals as well as design finishes to flood walls and associated infrastructure.
Work to install the new glass flood walls and pumping station in Gooseholme is set to start this summer. And the planning and common land approval means the next construction phase can begin using natural stone to finish the boundary at Gooseholme Park and new flood gates to provide public access to the riverside.
For summer and autumn 2023, the Gooseholme Park construction compound will be set up. Tree and vegetation removal will take place, the existing kiosk building will be removed and construction will start on the Stock Beck outfall into the River Kent.
In the summers of 2023-2025 the construction of the motor control centre and substation building, chambers and other below-ground infrastructure will happen. The flood walls will also be built around the boundary of Gooseholme Park.
Landscape works will be undertaken in the spring and summer of 2025. These will include the creation of a new urban park around the pumping station area, and new surfacing and tree planting to the northern part of Gooseholme Park. The works will complete this section of the flood scheme in the Gooseholme Park area.
When built, the equipment for the pumping station will be housed underground with the building designed to reflect local architectural features. The approved plans for the pumping station also include the use of fish-friendly pumps. The Stock Beck Pumping Station will manage nearby water levels more effectively. And the Environment Agency will also create two new amenity areas for the community within Gooseholme Park.
Pre-construction surveys have been carried out by the Jacobs team and have included surveys for bats, otters, breeding birds, white-clawed crayfish, and bullhead fish. Spawning grounds are known, recorded, and monitored for salmon and trout on all rivers and tributaries within the Kent catchment.
Environmental monitoring devices will be installed which will monitor noise, vibration and vehicle movements in sensitive locations.
Yasmin Khan, Landscape Architect at Axis said: “We’re delighted to have helped the EA secure permission for this important development for the communities of Kendal. It’s rewarding to see all the hard work that we have done as a team come together. Whilst the main focus of the project is to ensure that the community of Kendal is safe, we have also used every opportunity to create spaces which are beautiful to the public and attractive for wildlife.
Yasmin Khan, Landscape Architect at Axis said: “We’re delighted to have helped the EA secure permission for this important development for the communities of Kendal. It’s rewarding to see all the hard work that we have done as a team come together.
Whilst the main focus of the project is to ensure that the community of Kendal is safe, we have also used every opportunity to create spaces which are beautiful to the public and attractive or wildlife.
A wide variety of perennials, shrubs and trees will be planted throughout, and additional seating will be provided to allow people to take a moment and enjoy the riverside location and the local scenery.
Our aim has been for the development to have an overall positive impact on the local environment, and to ensure that Kendal town centre has a sustainable future.”
Our aim has been for the development to have an overall positive impact on the local environment, and to ensure that Kendal town centre has a sustainable future.”
Environment Agency project manager for the scheme Alex Cowin said: “Being granted the planning permission for the Gooseholme area heralds the start of the next part of the flood risk management scheme for Kendal. It is important to get the scheme built as quickly as possible to protect the homes and businesses in this area of Kendal.”
The Community Flood Hub on Little Aynam has information about the scheme and members of the Environment Agency team are on hand to answer questions and take feedback on the project. The hub is open every Tuesday and Thursday, 10am- 4.30pm.